Mission

The Chief Innovation Officer’s mission is to enhance TSA's innovation capacity by connecting, advising, and enabling innovation across TSA and the greater transportation security ecosystem.

Vision

The Chief Innovation Office is an agile team of professionals who cultivate an environment of innovation at TSA by engaging the workforce, and government and industry partners to quickly and efficiently solve problems that enhance mission effectiveness.

The TSA Innovation Doctrine is the first publication of its kind in the federal government; it is a living document which outlines the fundamental principles that will guide the actions of our officers, staff and leaders as they execute TSA’s mission; it is authoritative, but does not dictate how those actions must be taken.

"It is my hope and belief that the innovation programs outlined in this doctrine and stewarded by TSA’s Chief Innovation Officer (CInO) will help to further connect and enable innovators across the agency. Only by working together and pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking can we continue to ensure the security of our nation’s transportation systems."

–David Pekoske, TSA Administrator

Lift Cells empower innovation at the operational edge, fostering the ingenuity of TSA’s frontline workers and nontraditional partners in order to improve security and efficiency in our nation’s transportation systems. The program connects TSA operational experts with top problem-solvers in industry and the government. It also gives them the training and tools necessary to quickly solve challenges at the local level.

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TSA Launchpad is dedicated to solving complex problems so travelers can enjoy safer, more efficient journeys through the airport. Small teams of problem-solvers are structured around unique opportunities, problem statements, and research areas, with the goal of delivering solutions at speed. This program leverages unique TSA resources and authorities, as well as emerging ideas and technologies, to quickly create solutions that address systemic challenges across the transportation system.

TSA Ventures works to get advanced commercial solutions into the hands of the TSA workforce. The program makes high-impact investments leveraging private capital. This accelerates the commercialization of dual-use innovations to address TSA mission sets. Among the pathways TSA Ventures relies on to rapidly field game-changing, dual-use solutions for a secure and efficient transportation system are Public-Private Partnerships, the Small Business Innovation Research program, Commercial Solutions Opening Program, and a partnership with In-Q-Tel.

TSA Xplore is a force multiplier for innovation at TSA, expanding the range of available solutions in the transportation security marketplace. This program broadens TSA’s innovation ecosystem through partnerships and collaborations with industry, academia, and other external entities. Activities include the Hacking for Homeland Security academic course, prize challenges, and facilitated innovation trainings – all intended to expand the agency’s innovation capabilities.

The Chief Innovation Officer (CInO) leads TSA’s enterprise innovation efforts to ensure TSA achieves its mission of protecting the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

CInO is tasked with identifying opportunities within TSA and enabling the innovation ecosystem, by training and connecting innovators, to curate and ultimately implement systems or processes that mitigate risks to the TSA mission.

To achieve this, CInO relies on the TSA Innovation Doctrine published by the Administrator in October 2022. This document is the first such Innovation Doctrine created by a federal agency. It provides a framework for innovating at TSA and, by giving everyone in the organization the power to begin the innovation process on their own, explicitly gives the TSA workforce permission to embrace a culture of experimentation. It has been used to create new programs like the Lift program, which connects TSA operational experts with top problem-solvers in industry and the government. It also gives them the training and tools necessary to quickly solve challenges at the local level.

No organization can change its human (abilities, skills, knowledge) and organizational (structure, processes, and culture) capabilities overnight. However, by tapping into the latent potential across the organization, CInO continues to foster creative problemsolving at the agency.

Steven Parker
Chief Innovation Officer

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